Windows Phone Thoughts: Qualcomm Mirasol Display in Inventec V112

"While the ultra-efficient, ambient light-loving technology hasn't gone through that Pleasantville epiphany just yet, a 1.1-inch bichrome mirasol touchscreen has found its way onto Inventec's V112 Smartphone alongside a decidedly more colorful bigger brother. It'll serve to show time, incoming and missed calls, email and SMS alerts, MP3 song information, and other information that doesn't require a lot of space or hue."

Just in case you're wondering, the mirasol display is that B&W portion right at the bottom of the display. Why the fuss? If you've ever had the misfortune of trying to read a transmissive screen in direct sunlight, the mirasol display is the answer to your prayers - at least, if you're not hankering for colour. The mirasol display uses conductive plates to reflect light, which makes the display clear and readable even under the brightest conditions - you'd still need to have a backlight in low-light conditions however. What this means is that these types of displays can have very low power requirements, which obviously translates into better battery life. At the moment, mirasol displays are only useful as secondary displays, given the colour deficiency, but I dare say that's being worked on as we speak. Ain't technology wonderful?